A pair of women are facing felony retail theft and conspiracy charges after they allegedly stole nine vacuum cleaners and other items from the Hilltown Walmart earlier this year.
Tara Blackshire, 44, of Gilbertsville, and Emily Finger, 31, of Doylestown, have been charged with felony counts of retail theft – under ringing and conspiracy to commit retail theft, as well as misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, in connection with an investigation by the Hilltown Township Police Department.
Police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Bethlehem Pike at 9:19 p.m. on Jan. 23 for a report of a retail theft. Employees with the store’s loss prevention department told police that two women — later identified as Blackshire and Finger — had committed a retail theft then fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV, according to the criminal complaint.
The report states the suspects’ vehicle was involved in a similar incident a day prior in Bedminster Township, with Finger being named as a suspect in that incident.
Store employees told investigators that the two women had walked out with two carts of merchandise without paying, and when confronted about the theft, the females handed over a receipt that repeatedly showed the word “cami,” meaning the women were using the barcode from a shirt to pretend to scan other items that they had put in their cart, according to the complaint.
The two women then placed the stolen merchandise into their vehicle and fled the scene, police said. Total value of the stolen items was $1,551, with nine of the stolen items being vacuum cleaners, according to the complaint.
Finger was arraigned on the charges on Feb. 10 and remains free on 10% of $10,000 cash bail as she awaits her formal arraignment at the Bucks County Courthouse, court records show.
Blackshire wasn’t taken into custody until March 18, at which point she was arraigned and given $15,000 unsecured bail. Her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on May 31 at 1:45 p.m. in front of District Judge Regina Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause.
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